Dissertations: Home

This guide provides information on locating, borrowing, and purchasing doctoral dissertations. If you are unable to locate dissertations using these instructions, ask a librarian in any USC library for assistance.

Introduction

This guide provides information on locating, borrowing, and purchasing doctoral dissertations. It also addresses similar issues with regard to theses. Please note that doctoral dissertations are collected and archived more systematically than master's theses.

If you are unable to locate dissertations (or theses) using these instructions, ask a librarian in any USC library for assistance.

Frequently asked questions:

What is a dissertation?: A dissertation is a book-length thesis or treatise prepared as a requirement for the award of a doctoral degree (Ph.D.)

What is a thesis?: A thesis is book-length essay or treatise prepared as a requirement for the award of a master's degree.

Why use a dissertation (thesis) for research?: Dissertations can be especially useful for locating recent research that may not yet be published in book or article format. Revised dissertations are often published later as books or scholarly articles; to find these, try searching for other works written by the same author.